Turbine driven steerable, reversible, outboard motor



Oct. 16, 1956 w. WATERVAL 2,766,715

TURBINE DRIVEN STEERABLE. REVERSIBLE, OUTBOARD MOTOR Filed July 31. 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet l IN V EN TOR. l V/A m/v/ W/I TEA m L via 4 A T TOA /YE? Oct. 16, 1956 w. WATERVAL TURBINE DRIVEN STEERABLE, REVERSIBLE, OUTBOARD MOTOR Filed July 51, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. lV/LA/AMWATLRVAL United States Patent TURBINE DRIVEN 'STEE'RABLE, REVERSIBLE, OU O R M TO Waterval, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application July 31, 1950., Serial No. 301,841

1 Claim. (Cl. 11-5-18) This invention has for its object to provide a power rudder, and the invention in-this connection relates to a direct reversible compound high speed hydraulic turbine for boa-ts.

Thus, among the objects of my invention is to provide a hydraulic propelled turbine consisting of an internal gear for driving a pinion gear that can be used with various sizes, as to speed and power required.

.This power unit can be used at the boat stern with a single or double propellers, namely ,one forward of the housing, and one on the aft part of the housing.

On a twin propelling unit, the propellers are to be arranged on a 45-degree turn in order to get better balance, to avoid unnecessary vibration, and to avoid a continuous pull and load on the power unit.

With twin propellers the advantage is obtained that two similarly sized propellers may be used instead of one large one, so as to make the depending structure shorter for travelling in shallow water, without sacrificing any driving power.

Thus one of the objects of the invention is to provide a powerful pulling and backing hydraulic turbine in which the vibration is reduced to a minimum.

A further object is to provide a hydraulic turbine, which is compact, light of weight, portable, easy to carry, and provided with a folding tiller handle, and which at the same time is adaptable for use with any type of power unit to which a pump may be connected.

The power unit consists of a propelling unit and rudder, which are easy to dismantle, and in which the turbine housing bucket pinion gear may be made of metal, plastic, or any other suitable material.

The invention is adapted to be operated with a threeway valve system for reverse and ahead motion.

There are no intricate mechanical connections, but only a high pressure hose used between the pump and the propulsion turbine.

Incidentally, this engine can be used for a bilge pump at the same time.

The propeller guards, which act as a steering rudder, are arranged under one or both propellers.

The hereinbefore mentioned propeller unit has no reverse gear, or clutch, but, byeliminating all commonly used structures, reduces this invention to a minimum of costs to make.

With the above and other objects in view, this invention consists of the novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts, hereinafter fully described, claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawing forming part of this application, and in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all views, and in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of my invention, partly in section.

Figure 2 is a rear elevation, showing the propeller.

Figure 3 is a vertical section on the line 3-3 of Figure 1; while 2,766,715 Patented Oct. 16, 1956 "ice ,2 Figure 4 is a vertical section on the line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the numeral 10 indicates a cover with a tiller .arm 11 inserted in the .cover to act as a control handle for the operation of the control valve.

The cover 10 is fastened to a housing 14 by means of bolts 15. A hanger bracket for engaging the stern of a boat (not shown) is indicated at 16; said hanger bracket is secured to the stern board of said boat by a lock screw 17.

The hanger bracket is attached to the housing by hinge pins 18 adapted to receive padeyes 19 secured to said bracket, whereby said housing may be used as a rudder in addition to a propelling unit.

In said housing is arranged pressure tubings 20.

The said pressure tubings 20 are connected to a hydraulic turbine 23 as at 22.

A pinion gear 39 and a propeller shaft 29 are regulated by a set screw 26 for clearance.

A thrust riding button 28 is loosely arranged in the space between the set screw 26 and the end of the propeller shaft 29, which latter is journaled in ball bearings 30, 30.

The front turbine cover is indicated at 31, and the after turbine cover at 32; said covers are secured to the housing by screws 33. Pressure seals 34 are mounted in the after turbine cover.

The turbine bucket 35 is mounted on ball bearings 36 and has ball bearing landings 37 to carry the turbine bucket, and seals 34 and an interior gear drive 38 to actuate the propeller drive shaft pinion 39. The opening 40 in pinion 39 for the propeller drive shaft 29 has a key way 41.

The turbine securing cap, the propeller steadying bearing and part of the rudder fin are indicated at 42; said cap has seals 43, and ball bearings 44; screws 45 secure the cap to the housing 14.

The propeller 46 is mounted on the shaft 29 by means of a key 47 and secured by nut 48 to said shaft, the propeller hub overlapping the bearing cap 42.

In the control valve, as shown and which forms an integral part of my said invention, the control handle has a stop collar 50, secured by a set screw 51; a stop pin 52 is arranged on the handle to regulate and control the head and stern motion.

The valve connecting rod 55 has a crank pin 56. Said rod 55 has a cross-headlinkage 57 for connecting the rod to the valve rod 58.

The valve rod 58 is threadedly secured to the plunger 59 and held in position by a lock nut 75.

The said plunger 59 is adapted to move up and down to change the openings for the in and outlet of the fluid. Said plunger is formed with bores 60 and 63 for the inlet of fluid when moved in one direction, and with outlets 61 and 62 when moved in the opposite direction the numeral 62 indicates an outlet, which, however, is closed, or acts as a seal, when the outlet 61 is open.

A valve housing 65 has a cover 66 secured to the latter by screws 67.

The center of the cover has a packing box 68 surrounding the valve rod.

The said housing is formed with an outlet port 69 having fitting 70 and with an inlet port 71 having fittings 72.

A set-screw 73 is inserted through the aft-side of the housing and made to engage a recess 74 in the plunger to keep the latter from turning.

The outlet ports on the front sides 69' and 71' are provided with an outlet pipe 76.

The valve housing 65 has a pressure inlet port 78.

The housing is secured by bolts 81 to the outboard motor housing.

The inlet 78 and outlet 76 are provided on the outside with watertight lock nuts 82. The motor cover is provided with a handhold 83.

It is obvious that changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the several parts, as shown, within the scope of the appended claim, without departing from the spirit of the invention, and I do not, therefore, wish to limit myself to the exact construction shown and described herein.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

A boat propulsion device comprising a housing, a propeller, a turbine, a valve and bracket means adapted to be attached to a boat; said housing being pivotally mounted on vertical pivots on saidbracket, a cover secured to the top of said housing, a guard forming a rudder surface extending rearwardly from the lower end of said housing, a tiller journalled on a horizontal axis in said cover, a fluid pressure turbine having a bucket with interior gear mounted in the lower end of said housing, a propeller shaft journalled in said housing, said propeller attached to said shaft, a pinion keyed to said shaft and meshing with said interior gear, a valve housing having fluid inlets and outlets supported in said housing adjacent the tiller, pressure tubing connected to said valve housing and said turbine, a valve plunger adapted to move up and down in said valve housing 4 and having bores therethrough positioned for alignmen with the inlets and outlets in said valve housing and a linkage connected to said plunger and the said tiller whereby rotation of the tiller on its horizontal axis will move the plunger up and down in the valve housing to direct the fluid to and from the turbine, said tiller when moved in a horizontal planemoving the combined housing, propeller and guard for steering purposes.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 613,587 Moehn Nov 1, 1898 718,508 Ochoa Jan. 13, 1903 778,763 Salom Dec. 27,1904 854,482 Gardiner May 21,1907 946,711 Alderman Jan. 18, 1910 1,640,999 Johnson Aug. 1927 1,926,528 Cornell Sept. 12, 1933 2,259,921 Blankshain Oct. 21, 1941 2,494,158 Below Jan. 10, 1950 2,528,628 Whitney Nov. 7, 1950 2,556,340 Reed June 12, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 3,220 Great Britain L of 1898 10,619 Great Britain of 1902 62,963 Sweden May 10, 1927 

